


Dancing With Your Ghost

by jacobmybeloved



Series: Ghost Recon [4]
Category: Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Ghost Recon: Wildlands, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, dun dun dun, two stubborn assholes in love, will they or won't they
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-10-05
Packaged: 2020-10-13 05:30:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20577254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacobmybeloved/pseuds/jacobmybeloved
Summary: Fate has brought Ghost leader Socorro E. Montoya and notorious Ghost Colonel Cole D. Walker together once again. Will things be different this time around or are they doomed to keep repeating the same mistakes of their past?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look, something that's not Farcry related because i'm a POS. I only got to play the Breakpoint beta for like two hours but lemme tell you guys i'm SHOOK and super stoked to see more Cole Walker >>___>>' 
> 
> This sprung into my mind after that "flashback scene" so yea. plz enjoy :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10/5 notes: I did make some minor changes after the open-beta and went ahead and uploaded that version here. A few lines have been taken out/added + introduction of Josiah. also decided to add a second chapter because I'm a POS. lmaoo enjoy!

Middle East - Feb 2022

“What happened to you being retired?” 

“What happened to the no speaking rule.”

Ghost Leader Socorro E. Montoya winced as a fellow ghost and ex-husband Lieutenant Colonel Cole D. Walker dragged her out of the crossfire into the safety of an empty building. Fate had brought the two together in the most unlikely of places - the middle east. Coco had sworn when Walker had appeared on her doorstep just under a year ago, she thought that would be the last she would ever see of him. In good ole’ Cole Walker fashion, he left her with more questions than answers about this little “off-the-record” mission he had come to her for assistance with. After that, it wasn’t until three days ago the two were thrust together once again.

Former field-Ghost now turned handler Major Scott Mitchell had personally requested for Montoya’s expertise in this particular mission. She could not turn Mitchell down considering he had helped her get into the Ghost Program in the first place, and had also been her mentor from time to time. Her family, particularly her son, had not taken the news well, but she could not turn her back on her former comrades and commanders. However, had she known Walker was going to be a part of the mission, she would have declined vehemently. 

Coco remembered stepping into the briefing room and feeling her heart plummet upon seeing his face. He gave no tell of what was going on in his head; he simply looked at her and turned his attention back to the matter at hand. She was not going to lie - that shit hurt a bit. They were married for just under two years, but that did not mean her feelings for him had been completely erased. Especially when every time she looked at her son all she could see were Cole’s doe eyes. When she learned they would be working together for their upcoming mission she had tried to object, wanting to bring along her usual cohorts and proclaimed sisters: Midas, Weaver, and Holt. 

Her request had been denied, instead, stationing them with the U.S. military camp that had been set up in one of the villages, and one Josiah Hill and a number of probies. The presence of Josiah made the whole thing only marginally more bearable. He was a dedicated soldier, and a close friend that she had made over the years. Despite having the neighboring military camp, and Josiah Hill at their side, whoever did the logistics on this mission had underestimated just how much firepower they were going up against. After getting separated from Hill and three hours of continuous gunfire, the fighting finally ceased. Walker left Coco in order to draw any stragglers away before looping back to where he had left her.

As he knelt before her, she could not help but notice how distant he seemed even in the thick of the fighting. As he finished her bandages he sat back, finally allowing himself to catch his breath. The two former lovers sat in awkward silence while also keeping their ears peeled for any approaching enemies. When hours began to pass, the danger seemed all but a distant memory. The desert sky began to darken, prompting the two to get settled in for the evening. Coco rummaged through her bag, seeking out one of their rations as Cole continued to avoid meeting her gaze. Today marked day two of their mission together, and they had perhaps said a total of twenty words to one another. If this is how the rest of the mission was going to go she was better off just shooting herself in the other leg to get herself out of here. 

“So what, they upped your pension?” Cole suddenly remarked. 

Coco, confused by his statement, looked up from her bag. By this point, he had his signature blade out, sharpening it as he continued to look away from her. 

He continued his question with another, “Is that how they convinced you to come back to the thick of it? Nice cushy little retirement fund for you and the family.”

His words irked her. He knew damn well the extent to which she went to make sure her family would be secure in her absence or untimely death. How much she would sacrifice to make sure that Ruben would be taken care of if anything ever happened to her when she left a week ago, it appeared as though he could care less. He was getting older and a bit more rebellious. He too was distant when she told him she was leaving again for another mission. Ruben and her parents could never truly know the nature of her career, but keeping it a secret was causing its own turmoil back home. Thinking of her son pained her in more ways than one, especially when she was sitting with his birth father who, even to this day, remained clueless that he even had a son in the first place.

Coco discovered her pregnancy three months after finalizing her divorce from Walker. _One more time for old times sake_ Cole had convinced her. Yeah, that one more time resulted in her carrying a small human inside her for eight and a half months and her feigning to her parents that she had no clue as to who the father was. After all, she and Walker had been separated for six months up until the final paperwork - a lot could have happened. None would be the wiser. She thought about telling him the truth multiple times but knew if she did, he would want to try their relationship again.

Socorro wanted nothing more than to have Ruben’s father be a part of his life, but deep down, she and Cole knew, they were never fit to be a family. Both of them were too invested in their jobs which was why she had chosen to retire in the first place. Cole would never give up his life in the army. He saw corruption he wanted to fix and duty to protect and avenge that was met with determination she had never seen anywhere else. He had plans. She just never knew if a family was one of them.

“Not that it’s any of your business-,” she responded, “-but no, they did not offer to up my pension. I came back on my own accord.”

She must have said something funny because Walker began to chuckle to himself as he sheathed his knife. He finally looked up at her, doing that unscrupulous grin he would do when getting ready to say something triggering. 

“I see, so when it’s anyone else but me who asks you for help, you come running with no issue.”

Coco could feel her face starting to warm with irritation, “What the hell are you talking about Cole?”

“What I’m saying is that there’s never any middle ground with you.” he retorted back, “All you do is charge full speed ahead or stop dead in your tracks. If there's a problem with someone, charge.” he used his hands for emphasis, becoming more animated with each word he spoke, “If the CIA or Mitchell asks you to do anything, charge. When there were issues with us though, you couldn’t take more than two steps. Where was the charge, Socorro?”

“Oh don’t you start Walker. You know damn well you’re just as much at fault as I am. I could never tell when you were talking about work or us.” she shot back, “Or are you still hung up about the mission you failed to explain the details of a year ago.”

Cole threw his hands up in the air. He did this every time they argued. His way of showing it was just not worth it. Coco frowned as he began to stand, looking down at her.

He began to huff, “You know what, just forget it. Things never change with you.”

Coco opened her mouth to retort but he was already halfway through the doorway from which they had entered earlier. He was right. Nothing ever changes.

\-----

The night dragged on like a never-ending purgatory. Cole Walker laid on his side with his back facing Coco who had fallen asleep about an hour prior. What kind of sick joke was this? Was the universe testing him? He had spent the last year burying every memory of her behind a mental wall, and now she was thrust back into his life like a rocket into space. This was his last mission before he left this whole life behind. He had hoped Coco would have jumped at the opportunity. Perhaps they could rebuild what they had. When she refused, he had decided it was best to cut her out completely. After all, she had a child to look after. That was one thing he could never give her: The stability of a family. They had talked about it, humored it. but they were both so consumed by their duty to their country it never took off the ground. He wondered if that was the start of their downfall.

He heard some slight rustling coming from Socorro behind him, along with what he could only discern as a young boy singing. Walker turned onto his back, greeted by the sight of her own. There was a light illuminating in front of her, probably from her phone. Was she watching a video? The singing was drowned out by soft whimpering which prompted him to turn onto his side, propping himself on one arm.

“Hey, hey-” he reached on arm out, gently grasping her arm.

Coco turned on her back looking embarrassed and surprised that he was in fact still awake. 

“I’m so sorry- I didn’t mean to wake you.” she began to apologize.

If you knew Coco, you’d know that she could be a firecracker at times, but for three-hundred and sixty-four days of the year, she was cool and collected. Seeing her in this state tore at his heart. He had only seen her cry twice: once when they had to put their dog Bam-Bam down and the second when she handed him divorce papers. Besides losing his brother in arms, Griffin and Sanchez, those were the two worst days of his life, part of it because he knew her heart had been broken.

“You don’t gotta apologize to me ever, Montoya.” he assured her.

It was a bold statement considering their tumultuous history. She simply nodded before glancing back at her phone, “My son had his first talent show yesterday. My mother just sent me the video.”

On her screen was a static image of the young boy he had met a year ago. Seeing the son of Coco and a man he did not know made his stomach tighten. Coco seemed unaware of his tension as she hit play. The screen was brought to life with the boy performing on a school stage. He looked eager and happy to perform. The lyrics of the song were in Spanish but he had a lovely singing voice nonetheless.

“I haven’t seen him smile like that in months.” Coco remarked placing the phone down with a heavy sigh, “I promised Ruben that Bolivia was my last deployment. Guess I failed him too.”

_Is she referring to our marriage_ he asked himself. Walker was unsure of what to say, so he said nothing. Sometimes it was just better that way instead of filling the silence with nonsense. After a good minute or two, he tried shifting the topic to something else.

“Your mom and pop, they’re doing alright?”

Socorro’s parents had originated from Mexico, moving to the states to give their daughter a better life. He knew she worked her ass off to get to where she was on her parent’s behalf. She always put others above herself. It was both her greatest strength and weakness. He remembered her mother was so mad when she found out her daughter had “accidentally” gotten married and decided to stick it out. Her father got a good laugh out of it. 

Coco tried to keep her smile discrete as he mentioned her parents, “Yeah. Papa finally retired last year and my mom decided to go back to school. Said she wanted to set a good example for Ruben.”

“No shit.” he smirked. He could just imagine Coco’s mother, a tiny roundish Latino woman, sitting amongst a room full of youngbloods fresh outta high school, “What’s her major?”

Montoya looked at him with a smirk, “Political Science. She said she wants to give our dear Man in Office a run for his money.”

The two of them burst out laughing. Walker could not remember the last time he had nearly laughed this hard. It had been years, that was for sure. As they settled down, Coco shut her eyes, seeming to have fallen asleep almost instantaneously. Walker debated getting up and checking the perimeter but he was too taken aback by the sight of her in such a vulnerable state. Her bandages needed some changing and she had a few scruffed up marks on her face. He knew if anything happened to her on his watch, he’d never be able to forgive himself.

“She always liked you.” Coco suddenly remarked leaving him in utter confusion, “She always asks me why we got divorced.”

Walker looked at her in disbelief as he scoffed, “You’re fucking with me. She hated my guts.” he began to laugh, “She threatened to hit me with a, what was it, a _concha_?”

Coco burst out laughing as she looked up at him, “It’s called a _chancla_.”

“Yeah, yeah a chancla, what is that?”

“It a slipper. Or a flip-flop.” she replied.

“You’re kidding.” he huffed while also grinning, “She was going to hit me with those little pink mops on her feet she loves to wear?” he exclaimed. His reaction caused her to burst out into hysterical laughter before clamping her hands over her mouth. Her laughter sent ripples through him he thought had long gone. Her face would always scrunch up into this pained look that was oddly adorable when she laughed. Her eyes shut as tight as they could go but her mouth would go agape, exposing her beautiful smile. She had laughed this hard only on their wedding day when a drunken Holt went face-first into the cake trying to start some new dance craze. He remembered because the scene had interrupted their first official dance.

Like any horrible idea masquerading as a good one at the time, Cole stood up without warning causing Coco’s laughter to pause.

“How’s the leg?” he asked.

“I mean- it hurts like hell, why?” she asked, puzzled.

With a sly smirk, he held out his hands, offering to help her stand. Coco, with a little hesitation, allowed him to lift her up. She grunted as she shifted all her weight to one leg, nearly toppling over before he grasped her securely. He could see her cheeks begin to rosy up as he secured his hands around her waist. She tried hiding her smile by looking down at the space between them which he was sure to close.

She seemed unsure of what to do until the moment Cole began to twirl her about gently and slowly, paying mind to her injury. Every time his hand graced hers or even remotely touched any other part of her body, she began to breathe just a little bit more heavily. The woman could carry up to eighty pounds of equipment with no issue but the moment his hands grazed her body she was at a loss of breath. He was soft with his movements, leading her through every step or turn. When she’d stumble, he adjusted his own stance to accommodate her. Midway through, she succeeded and rested her head upon his chest, sending his heart and mind spiraling. They came to stand in one spot, rocking back and forth like small ripples in the ocean.

“It wasn’t all bad was it?” he murmured as he rested his head atop of hers.

Her response was so soft and quite he wondered if she had suddenly been replaced by an alien when he wasn’t looking.

“No. No, it wasn’t.” she replied.

Well, that was a relief, knowing their marriage wasn’t a complete waste. It did leave a lot of unanswered questions and open wounds though.

“What happened to us?” he asked, knowing that there was no clear cut answer, despite how much he wished it so.

Coco was not without words though, “We were both going at a hundred miles per hour…” she replied, “I guess we just lost sight of each other.”

With a heavy sigh, she pulled herself away from him, grasping his hands in hers. She had a heavy look in her eyes that was uncommon, making him feel tense and a little uneasy. How badly he wanted to kiss her at that moment. How badly he wanted to beg her to take the next step with him on what could very well lead to a new world or his ultimate death. He knew that when this mission came to an end, his time as a Ghost was done. He would rise again as a wolf, and he wanted, no, needed this particular Ghost beside him. Coco, however, seemed to have something else entirely on her mind.

“Cole, there’s something I need to tell you.”

She clutched his hands, seemingly ready to spill her heart out. That’s when the bullets began to hail down on them. Cole instinctively threw his body over hers as they collided onto the floor. Shouting from outside began to approach rapidly, prompting him to take hold of her. With his adrenaline at an all-time high, he threw her over his shoulder, seeking out the exit towards the rear of the building. Whatever it was she had to say to him would forever remain a mystery. 

Survival had become the new priority.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a days walk back to the village where their military camp was set up. Coco was grateful that Walker had not brought up the _thing_ she wanted to tell him. What good would it have done anyway? To know she had lied about her son Ruben’s true father. She was actually shocked that he had not put two and two together to be honest. Granted, they had been divorced for three months, and he was nowhere to be found, at least until their fateful meeting in Bolivia. Seven years was a long time to make up for and she knew she would feel his full utter wrath if he ever knew. The two of them were too exhausted to speak as they approached the camp.

At the head of the camp stood Josiah Hill, looking relieved to see the two.

“Thank God you two are alive.” he sighed as they approached. He paused noticing Coco’s injured leg, “Shit, you okay Socorro?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve had worse.” she remarked.

Josiah nodded in acknowledgement.

“The General’s waiting for a debrief but I told him to give you guys some time to settle in.” Hill stated, “And possibly see a medic. Meet up with me when you guys are ready.”

Coco patted Hill on the shoulder, “Thanks Hill. We won’t take long.”

Walker assisted Coco to their host’s residence. Most of the villagers had been welcoming, allowing the soldiers to take residence and live among them. Coco and Walker had been bunked up with a villager woman, along with one of the probies. The Probie was a young kid named Vaughn, and it took everything in Coco’s power to not throttle him. He was your stereotypical spoiled kid, growing up with a High Ranking officer as his father. She knew because he would not shut up about it. Anytime he and Walker were within eyesight of one another, they were at each other's throats. Walker cared not of your lineage, only that you got the job done and didn’t bitch about it. 

He gently sat her down on the edge of her cot, examining the extent of her injury. He took his knife, cutting off the bottom half of her pants allowing him a better view. 

“Eh, nothing a little tequila can’t fix.” he mused, smiling at her. 

She smiled half-heartedly back as he got up to gather bandages. When he left the room, she allowed herself to breathe again. _Get yourself together girl._ Being around him had stirred up emotions she thought she had buried, deep. Deep into the depths of her mind. The ruggedness of his voice, his stupid beard, the way his eyes looked at her as though he were in pain at the mere sight of her and yet so filled with unrequited love. It tore at her like a wild animal, paralyzing her. She could hear him speaking with someone, a woman in another room. It was no doubt their host assisting him with what he needed. As figured, he returned with the supplies they needed.

He knelt down and began to get to work: he poured alcohol over the wound, causing her skin to feel like it was sizzling. She did well at containing her discomfort in front of him. She had already shown enough weakness in the past forty-eight hours in front of him, she need not add to it.

“I got a buddy down in Mexico, name’s Trey Stone, started up his own contracting company. Thinking about leaving this behind and going to join him.”

Coco’s eyes were staring in his direction but she was purposely staring blankly at the floor, knowing he was waiting for her to comment. The silence was palpable as he changed her bandages. The mere sensation of his fingers brushing against her skin sent shivers through her spine. She wanted to speak but following the previous night, she was sure she would blurt out the secret she had been harbouring.

“How do I not know about this buddy Trey Stone?” she asked trying to deride the direction this conversation was going.

“Ah, this was back in my cadet days.” Walker smirked, “Maybe not so much a buddy but a frenemy.”

Coco began to chuckle, “Oh god, hearing you say frenemy is the best thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Hey come’on,” Walker shot back, trying to contain his amusement, “I gotta keep up with what these kids are saying these days. Got me thinking they got their own language or something.”

He began to tighten the bandages, around her calf, ensuring it was secure before taping it up.

“I thought that maybe since you just don’t know how to quit,” he remarked, “I’d ask again if you might be interested in going with me. The money is good. You’d be making ten times more than you are here. Your parents would be set for life. You could send Ruben to any college of his choice.”

Coco’s heart warmed as he mentioned her parents, but more importantly, Ruben. How badly she wanted to go back in time and just tell him immediately after their divorce that she was pregnant. But she knew Walker better than he knew himself. He would have asked her for another chance, he’d ask them to move back in together, for the sake of the baby. She knew that would have put an unimaginable amount of stress for both her and Ruben though, especially how often she and Walker had their highs and lows with one another. At this point, her secret had grown to a proportion that if Cole ever found out he was Rubens biological father, it would be the equivalent of Mount St. Helens volcano going off.

“I’ve told you before Walker, it’s not about the money.” she responded.

He smirked, this time, not as amused, “Say that again when you have two daughters you’re trying to send to college.”

The suddenness of his statement sent her stomach jumping into her throat. Walker looked up, seeing her confusion.

“Oh, I ain’t ever tell you I was married before we met?” he said it almost sarcastically, like this was some trump card he had been waiting to play in some imaginary argument that never arose.

“No.” she replied plainly, trying to conceal her jealousy. She had no idea where this feeling was coming from. They had been divorced for years. She had moved on. Or at least she thought she had, “But I feel like information like that should have been disclosed.” she said with a low growl.

“Well, if I’m not mistaken, you have been trying to tell me something for over twenty-four hours now but you’ve still yet to cough it up.”

He licked his bottom lip, a gesture he did in only certain situations: when he was about to ravage her in the best way possible, or when he was being an absolute brat. In this case, he was leaning towards both. He placed his hands on the cot, standing up slightly as he began to lean into her. Coco scooted back, feeling her back pressed to the wall as he continued to get close. He looked from her eyes down to her lips, causing her to bite the lower one.

“I don’t want us to have secrets anymore, Socorro.”

His was so close she could feel an ache beginning to form in the lower half of her body. His eyes flicked up once more, gauging her expression as he swept his lips over hers. Her lips unintendedly parted, signaling Walker to encompass her mouth with his own. Coco moaned lightly, her lips curving up as he took her hands and planted them against the wall.

“Someone is going to hear us.” Coco murmured in between his ravenous kisses.

“Oh, don’t worry, I know what makes you yell..” he smirked. He lowered his head to the nape of her neck, sucking and biting playfully.

Coco closed her eyes, imagining for just a moment, what life would be like if she told him the truth, if they were to get back together. Would they last this time around or would they make the same mistakes as the first time? She was lost in his touch and thus, oblivious to what was happening just down the hall from them. There was a commotion, followed by the faint sound of a woman gasping. There was a loud booming sound that broke them apart, each one grasping for the other protectively. They paused, recognizing it instantly as a gunshot. The two looked at each other, visibly exuding caution. Coco immediately tore herself away from Walker to retrieve her pistol. She ignored Walker’s plea to stay back, limping to the door frame. She took point as Walker followed behind her. They came to the kitchen area, the scene unfolding rapidly. The probie they had been cursed to bunk with, Vaughn, was standing over the woman who own the house they were staying in. His gun was in hand, freshly fired.

Coco, lowered her weapon, taking in what she was seeing. It was a surreal scene. Moments prior she had heard Cole speaking with the woman who was now laying on the floor. Coco had seen her share of bodies, having dropped ninety-percent of them herself but this left her shaking in her boots. Vaughn himself looked speechless as he looked from the body up to his two superiors.

“There was, uh….I thought someone was gonna shoot me.”

“This is our village, Vaughn.” Coco enunciated with spite, “These are fucking allies.”

“She had a weapon. She had a gun-” Vaughn looked at the body nervously but spoke as though what he was saying was a matter of fact.

Coco scanned the room but saw nothing that would verify his story. There was a few items knocked over. A chair, some items that had been on the table, but no weapon that matched Vaughn’s description. There was definitely a struggle through. Cole must have had the same thought process as she, approaching from behind, his presence warm and heavy behind her.

“Well I see no fucking gun.” he responded, the annoyance inside him seeping off every word.

“No, she had a weapon.” He repeated like he was trying to convince himself. He looked around before picking up a knife off the kitchen table. “See?” he quickly placed the knife handle into the palm of her hand, “She left me no choice.”

Coco blinked inscrutable, turning around, pacing, “You gotta be kidding me.” she huffed.

She caught a brief glimpse of Walker’s face as he stepped forward. His eyes were wide but the rest of his face was beginning to scrunch with anger.

“You’re done. You have wasted too much of my fucking time as it is.” he said gravely.

“No!” Vaugh interjected, “You can’t do this to me!” Vaughn was quickly resorting to a tantrum like state as his composure continued to break down. 

Coco approached Cole from behind, placing a hand gently on his back as he continued to lay into Vaughn, “You did this to you.”

“No. This is your fault.” Vaugh continued to shout, “You kept riding me!”

“Oh Christ…” Walker snarled under his breath. 

“You kept pushing me. You don’t, you don't …” On the tip of a dime, Vaughn’s expression went some a caged, frightened animal to a shit-eatting grin, “Oh man, my dad is gonna hear what you did to me.”

Both Coco and Walker looked at one another. Cole had a fire in his eye that Coco had seen many times before, and each time it ended in disaster. She began shaking her head but Cole had already shifted his focus back to Vaughn.

“You fucking worm. You cry to your daddy? That what you’re gonna do?” He began walking towards Vaughn, picking up the knife he had conveniently placed in their hostess’ hand.

“Every single time you fuck up, you put the blame on someone else, dontcha?...”

He began waving the knife in Vaughn’s face, making Socorro extremely tense and uncomfortable. She called out his name in caution but Cole was on a one-way train and there was no getting off.

“Anytime you’re in trouble, you just wait for that daddy of yours to swoop in, huh. Well lemme tell you something, your daddy, he ain’t here.”

Vaughn’s face began to twist and contort until she could “Fuck you. I’m a good soldier. I’m a good soldier!”

“You’re a worthless fucking human being.”

Vaughn lunged at Walker, prompting Coco to immediately place her hands between the two grown men, spreading them apart.

“Hey hey hey...C’mon, c’mon.” she spoke more so to Walker before focusing on Vaughn, “Give me your weapon...now.”

Walker turned around, taking a few steps when she saw a glint of malice in Vaughn’s eyes. The next few seconds flew by so fast Coco wondered if she was in a dream. She was wrestling Vaughn for his weapon as he tried to take aim at Walker. She thrust his hands and the mouth of the gun away from Cole, shooting the ceiling. With one tug, she pulled the gun away, and without hesitation, used her injured leg to smash into Vaughn’s jewels. The boy knelt to the floor wheezing in agony as he grasped himself. Coco retreated to Walker’s side, holding Vaughn’s weapon defensively.

“Jesus fucking Christ…” she uttered, unsure of what to do from here.

“Walker.” 

She said his name but for what reason escaped her. His face was turned away from her, hiding his thoughts. His anger. His sadness. She knew he was staring at the bullet holes that were meant for him. With renewed determination, he turned around, drawing his gun.

“I’ve had enough.”

Coco watched helpless as Walker strolled right up to Vaughn. She shouted his name at the same time he pulled the trigger. Vaughn’s body fell to the floor, decorating the interior of the kitchen with more blood. Socorro lowered her weapon, her body seemingly paralyzed.

“Walker…” her voice turned feeble and pathetic, “What did you do? He was done!”

_What a stupid question._ Coco was pretty confident she had just witnessed her ex-husband commit a murder right before her very eyes. She lowered her gun, her mouth agape, struggling to find the words to speak. Walker turned to her, looking completely unperturbed. 

“Now he’s done.” he said, almost with a smirk, “Besides, if I didn't kill that worthless pog, the whole village might have come after us.”

“This is just fucking classic you.” Coco huffed, “You have no regard for anyone but yourself. That was a senator’s son! You’re going to end up getting court martialed, life in prison-”

Walker seemed disgusted by her statement, “Oh, so our hostess here isn’t worthy of being avenged? You got your panties in a bunch over some bigots son? Upset that I may have pissed off your masters?”

“Cole D. Walker you take that back right now.” she sneered, “I don’t give a rats ass about Vaughn, but fucking hell I give a damn about you and you’ve put me in one helluva position here.” 

She paused to catch her breath, running her fingers through her hair, “When they ask what happens here I have to tell the truth.”

Walker licked his bottom lip, scoffing as he placed his gun back in his holster. He shrugged his shoulders, “You do what you gotta do, Montoya. I ain’t gonna think any less of you for it.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, unsure if he was being a complete ass or not, “And what is it exactly that you think of me?”

He looked at her dead in the eye with a straight and narrow face. He had his hands clasped behind his back, 

“That you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. And the only one I’ll ever love.”

He began to approach her as she began to protest, “Walker-”

He grabbed her hard and fast, pulling her into him. His kiss was rough and long, ensuring that it would be seared into her memory for years to come. Josiah Hill and a few others found them a few minutes later. The scene went straightforward from there. They took Walker away, and she was sent back home to the states to recover from her injury, home to the boy with the beautiful voice and the rambunctious parents who missed her dearly. She never testified though - despite in her heart she knew it was the just thing to do. She could not bring herself to do so. Socorro never asked about the result of Walker’s trial. She simply knew that he was no longer a Ghost after that day and that he had pretty much dropped off the face of the earth, leaving an emptiness in her being. If there was one thing she learned in this line of work, it was this: you didn’t need to be dead to haunt the living.


End file.
